Donald C. Collins
e-mail collinsd1@sfusd.edu
website www.donaldcollins.org.
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Donald C. Collins e-mail collinsd1@sfusd.edu website www.donaldcollins.org.
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ABOUT THIS SITE
This site has information on legal and business issues affecting amateur sports, and issues affecting sports officials and officials' associations. This information is set out in over 60 articles written by Donald C. Collins. This site also has a comprehensive sportsmanship index.
Click on your area of interest on the menu bar on the left
For the latest information, see "What's New" on this page
WHAT'S NEW!
If you're an official and you're moving to a new state, you need a quick way to reach your new state's Officials' Association. Visit the Officials Page and click on "Links to National and State Officials' Organizations"
Cheerleading Brawl In Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Girls’ Public League expected 2,500 fans but they got 6,000 and couldn’t handle it. This ugly incident led to police intervention. The one light at the end of the tunnel is, of course, the intense interest in cheerleading. 6,000 is a lot of spectators. See Girl Fight At Overcrowded Cheerleading Event by Karen Araiza, NBC Philadelphia.
Oakland and South Carolina Attack Same Problem In Different Ways. When faced with potential spectator violence, the South Carolinians recently closed a gym to all spectators. Their counterparts in Oakland postponed a game. The common thread is they both recognized the threat of violence and took strong, proactive steps to combat it. See No Fans Allowed At South Carolina Prep Games Over Safety Concerns, Associated Press Wire in USA Today; and OAL Basketball Games Between Oakland High and McClymonds Postponed Because of Concerns About Potential Violence by Jimmy Durkin, Oakland Tribune.
Nevada's Western High Sues To Get Forfeits Reversed, Delays State Playofs, Then Loses In First Round. Western High is reflective of a number of trends: First, Western reflects a trend of poor administrative work - some of this is caused by overworked athletic administrators (here, Western played a fifth year player); Second, an unwillingness to accept results (here, Western couldn't accept the forfeits required by their playing an illegal player); Third, Western reflects the trend toward a more litigious society (they went to court on three occasions, here - of course, Western probably views this as standing up for justice - but fighting for your right to cheat ain't justice). Western finally got two of its forfeits reversed, which put them in the playoffs where they promptly lost. There's an old schoolyard saying where a guy misses a free-throw after a disputed foul-call: yes, Western's loss is "cheater's proof." They need to be home. Cheaters don't belong on the court in the first place. For more on the Western saga see Western Files Another Appeal, Basketball Tournament Likely Delayed by Chase Keefer, Las Vegas Sun, Feb. 16, 2010; Appeal Causes High School Basketball Playoffs To Be Delayed by Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun, Feb. 17, 2010; and Cimarron Dismisses Western, Nevadapreps.com, Feb. 20, 2010.
Senate Chimes in With Concussion Bill. S 2840 would provide grants to local school districts for concussion care - but in a debt plagued economy can the Senate afford this? Click here for bill text.
Poor Sportsmanship, Rivalry Game, No Security, No Police, and a Controversial Ending - A Recipe For Post-Game Trouble: Timing Dispute Launches Attack in Tennessee High School Game. Nashville's Maplewood High lost a game on a buzzer beater so they not only blamed the timer, they confronted her, one girl hit her, and the gym went crazy. Host Stratford High School and Maplewood received TSSAA sanctions: Maplewood for their lack of sportsmanship and Stratford for not meeting a state requirement of providing security at all games. A school district security officer noted that this was a rivalry game that also required police. The combination of people who lack inherent grace in accepting a frustrating result (i.e. they lack sportsmanship), combined with a propensity to violence and a lack of security led to the inevitable here. See Metro Schools Sanctioned After Game Melee: No Security, Police At Game Between Maplewood, Stratford, WSMV TV 4, Nashville, reported by Jonathan Martin.
New Research: Sports Improves Women's Educational and Employment Prospects and Has Long-Term Impact on Reducing Obesity. See As Girls Become Women, Sports Pay Dividends by Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times, Health Section, February 15, 2010.
Another Parent Who Can't Control Himself: This Moron Yells At The Ref, Touches Off a Melee, and Gets Arrested - All Over a Timing Dispute At A 6th Grade Basketball Game. See Parent Could Face Assault Charges After Alleged Assault At Burnsville Basketball Game by Joseph Palmersheim, Minnesota Sun; and Parent Arrested After Melee At Burnsville Youth Basketball Game by Nick Ferraro, St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Only Sports Could Bring the ACLU and the Conservative US Justice Foundation Together.
The U.S. Justice Foundation has filed numerous class action suits, challenging sports participation fees.. Click here for a reprint of a Fresno Bee article on the U.S. Justice Foundation's Fee Fights. Now, the ACLU is getting in the act. This leads to the oddity of the ultraconservative U.S. Justice Foundation and the ultra liberal ACLU fighting on the same side.. my, my but sports does lead to some strange partnerships - and we always said that sports brought people together. The ACLU has opposed Rhode Island’s new sports participation fee on the ground that it violates the Rhode Island Constitution. See ACLU To File Complaint Over Sports Fees, Saying They Violate State Law by John Hill, Providence Journal.
Heart Care - EKGs With Athlete Physicals In San Francisco In May. That's right: For the 2nd straight year, San Francisco athletes can get an EKG with their sports physical in May. The UCSF Playsafe Program, working with the National Football Foundation of Northern California and the California Interscholastic Federation's San Francisco Section will offer EKGs and follow up Echocardiograms for up to 400 athletes on May 22nd. Signup details will be posted in March at the www.cifsf.org website.
It's pretty easy to ignore teen sudden heart death - until it strikes close to home. About 50 teenage athletes a year die from sudden heart death (HCM) per year. That's a statistically small 1 in 200,000. If you taught at a school for your entire working life, you would probably never see a death from this problem. It's pretty easy to ignore and for the most part it has been. But when it strikes an area in a cluster, that area sure notices. In the San Francisco Bay Area, a football player died. See De La Salle Student Dies During Basketball Game by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, October 13, 2009. Then a basketball player died and another one collapsed within a week of each other. In the Bay Area, the teenage heart is front page news and people are gaining awareness of the need to have an EKG as part of a sports physical. See Rare Heart Conditions A Danger To Teen Athletes by Victoria Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, February 5, 2010. Also, see Teen Basketball Player Speaks Out After Collapsing From Heart Attack, reported by John Sasaki, KTVU Channel 2, San Francisco, Feb. 8, 2010.
Brevard County, Florida - The Florida Today on-line newspaper established a link for people to expose poor spectator conduct in youth sports in Jan, 2010. Click here for details of how the media and your sports community can work together to fight poor sportsmanship in youth sports. Note: the laws of unintended consequences held true as the first posting on this page was not about poor sportsmanship, but, instead, was about the lack of paper towels in the bathroom at a youth basketball game..
EPA Conducts Comprehensive Study To Develop Consistent Methods Of Testing Turf Fields. In conducting this study, the EPA tested a very limited number of fields. The EPA did note that "concentrations of components monitored in this study were below levels of concern" Page vi of the Study. However, the EPA noted that they were conducting a testing protocol study and did not test a sufficient number of fields in this study to draw broad conclusions of any sort. The EPA's study will, hopefully, lead to more consistent testing methods and help resolve some of the conflicting information that we often see when people discuss synthetic turf. As any of you who have followed this issue know, the modern turf fields have consistently passed safety tests, but they have also been hit by a number of technical charges from environmental groups claiming the fields are deficient in any of a number of ways. A neutral, objective person studying this issue would basically get lost in all the conflicting data and studies, and wouldn't know what the heck was going on. Hopefully, the EPA's testing protocols will help add clarity - and of course, it is worth noting that the EPA, like most formal, government testing agencies, found the fields it tested were perfectly safe. For the EPA study, see A Scoping-Level Field Monitoring Study of Synthetic Turf Fields and Playgrounds, EPA, November 2009.
The Indiana Sports Concussion Network: Taking a Stand For Responsible Health Care. Indiana uses ImPact Baseline testing to battle concussions. For more, visit the Methodist Sports Medicine Concussion Management web page. Methodist Sports Medicine does impact testing for $5 per student, and they claim to be the exclusive certified concussion management consultant in Indiana.
Recent Bad Acts: for more see the Bad Acts page.
Cheerleading Brawl In Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Girls’ Public League expected 2,500 fans but they got 6,000 and couldn’t handle it. This ugly incident led to police intervention. The one light at the end of the tunnel is, of course, the intense interest in cheerleading. 6,000 is a lot of spectators. See Girl Fight At Overcrowded Cheerleading Event by Karen Araiza, NBC Philadelphia.
Hard Foul In Youth Basketball Game Sparks Attack on Ref and Full-Scale Brawl Involving Parents and Players In Upstate New York.. See Brawl Breaks Out At Youth Basketball Game by Brandon Roth, CNY Central.com.
Poor Sportsmanship, Rivalry Game, No Security, No Police, and a Controversial Ending - A Recipe For Post-Game Trouble: Timing Dispute Launches Attack in Tennessee High School Game. Nashville's Maplewood High lost a game on a buzzer beater so they not only blamed the timer, they confronted her, one girl hit her, and the gym went crazy. Host Stratford High School and Maplewood received TSSAA sanctions: Maplewood for their lack of sportsmanship and Stratford for not meeting a state requirement of providing security at all games. A school district security officer noted that this was a rivalry game that also required police. The combination of people who lack inherent grace in accepting a frustrating result (i.e. they lack sportsmanship), combined with a propensity to violence and a lack of security led to the inevitable here. See Metro Schools Sanctioned After Game Melee: No Security, Police At Game Between Maplewood, Stratford, WSMV TV 4, Nashville, reported by Jonathan Martin.
Another Parent Who Can't Control Himself: This Moron Yells At The Ref, Touches Off a Melee, and Gets Arrested - All Over a Timing Dispute At A 6th Grade Basketball Game. See Parent Could Face Assault Charges After Alleged Assault At Burnsville Basketball Game by Joseph Palmersheim, Minnesota Sun; and Parent Arrested After Melee At Burnsville Youth Basketball Game by Nick Ferraro, St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Official Grabs Throat To Stop Confrontation by Mickey Alvarado, Tecumseh Herald, January 25, 2010. The official (Erich Schifter) grabbed a wrestler (Tim Elkins of Tecumseh HS) by the throat to break up two wrestlers who were wrestling while out of bounds. The official then walked the wrestler across the mat while gripping the wrestler's throat and screaming, "You don't misbehave on my mat." The wrestler's reply? "Let go of my throat." Words don't do this justice, but the link provides the video.
Rochester, N.Y. - Ref Attacked! Almost all the bones in his face were broken! Adult semi-pro football player attacks ref; is charged with first-degree felony assault for hitting an official over the head with his helmet. See Football Attack Stuns Team, Referees, Rochester Democrat Chronicle, and Referee Seriously Injured After Football Game, WHEC News 10, Rochester, N.Y. Referee Peter McCabe credits his partners with saving his life. Talk about timing: NY Assembly Bill 829, criminalizing batteries against sports officials, is currently before the New York State Legislature.
Latest Administrative Information
Only Sports Could Bring the ACLU and the Conservative US Justice Foundation Together.
The U.S. Justice Foundation has filed numerous class action suits, challenging sports participation fees.. Click here for a reprint of a Fresno Bee article on the U.S. Justice Foundation's Fee Fights. Now, the ACLU is getting in the act. This leads to the oddity of the ultraconservative U.S. Justice Foundation and the ultra liberal ACLU fighting on the same side.. my, my but sports does lead to some strange partnerships - and we always said that sports brought people together. The ACLU has opposed Rhode Island’s new sports participation fee on the ground that it violates the Rhode Island Constitution. See ACLU To File Complaint Over Sports Fees, Saying They Violate State Law by John Hill, Providence Journal.
When All Else Fails, Close the Gym. Central, South Carolina school officials take proactive steps, playing the Seneca HS vs. Daniel HS basketball doubleheader in a closed gym, open only to school administrators and the media. See No Fans Allowed At South Carolina Prep Games Over Safety Concerns, Associated Press Wire in USA Today.
Oakland Takes Proactive Approach When Faced With Threat of Spectator Violence. See OAL Basketball Games Between Oakland High and McClymonds Postponed Because of Concerns About Potential Violence by Jimmy Durkin, Oakland Tribune.
Little League Bat Lawsuits and a recent Little League New Jersey Settlement Make It Clear That The Only Perfect Solution For Coaches' Liability is Good Insurance. See Staten Island Mom Settles Suit With Little League and Coaches Over Knee Injury by Glenn Nyback, Staten Island Live - silive.com and Big Blow To Metal Bats. Montana Jury Awards $850,000 In Aluminum Bat Lawsuit, Associated Press Wire in Salt Lake City's Deseret News. For the pros and cons of metal bats, see the metal bat page..
Pregnant Athletes
Click here for the Women's Sports Foundation's Issues Related To Pregnancy and Athletic Participation: The Foundation Position, 2008. Is a position needed? Oh yes. This does come up as Texas high school student Mackenzie McCollum found out when she tried to play while pregnant. See High School Pregnancy, ESPN Outside The Lines; Pregnancy Raises Participation Issue in Texas by Tom Bergeron, rivals.com.
Collins discusses steroids on City Visions Radio.
2008 - NFHS Updates The Case For High School Activities. Sports and co-curricular activities develop better students and only costs one to three percent of a school's budget.
Academic/Recruiting Information
For more detailed information see the Academic and Recruting Issues Page and see the Making The Case For High School Sports Page
Think pushy parents and recruiting problems is limited to athletics? Think again.
For years, sports administrators have looked at some of the overzealous, pushy sports parents and wondered what would happen when their kids grew up and they had to let go. Well, now we're starting to see the answer. Some of these parents are not letting go. That's right! The parents show up for the job interview. They help the adult kid at work. They negotiate benefits. They're sports parents gone mad - but now they're showing up in the workplace. See 'Helicopter' Parents Hover When Kids Job Hunt by Stephanie Armour, USA Today
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) team up to produce video: The Role of The Principal In Interscholastic Athletics. Click here to download.
For complete administrative information see the administration page.
Latest Steroid Information - Click here for the steroids page
The few states that had steroid testing programs have seen those programs either eliminated or decimated by budget cuts. However, the Preston, Idaho School District has instituted random drug testing of athletes. Preston isn't going after steroids, though. They're looking for marijuana, prescription and recreational drugs. It's not steroid testing, but it's also not as expensive as steroid testing. Preston estimates that it can conduct its program for $500 per year. See Preston High School Athletes Will Now Be Randomly Drug Tested, reported by Michelle Costa, Local News 8, Eastern Idaho/Western Wyoming.
Quercetin: The new wonder drug. In the never-ending search for performance-enhancers, the supplement industry has come up with a new super supplement. But is it really as good as they say? See Popular Supplement Quercetin Does Not Enhance Athletic Performance, Study Finds, Science Daily; and Phys Ed: Is Quercetin Really A Wonder Sports Supplement? by Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times Health Blog. For more on supplements and performance-enhancers, see the steroid page.
Want the latest steroid info without having to weed through all the steroid sites? See
Science Daily - This is a science publication so you'll have to enter "Steroids" in the search bar. One of the problems with sites such as Steroid.com and isteroids.com is that they're geared to people who want to know about using steroids. Sometimes such sites can be off-putting as they immerse one in the ugly world of steroid users. Science Daily is pure science. It's not always exciting, but it's extremely credible.
Steroid users take the body they're born with and use drugs to make it better. Still, the steroid user has no guarantee of success and has an increased risk of some very negative physical, mental and psychological problems. This is terribly inefficient. What if you could find out what sport your body was best suited for? Now, you can be more efficient because you know what sports to pursue. That's the premise of Atlas Sports Genetics. For prices as low as $150 you can have genetic testing done on your ACTN3 gene and find out if you're genetically predisposed to sprint/power sports or endurance sports. Now, you're getting efficient. Does this sound like, well..., a bit much? Not to a whole lot of parents. See the steroids page for this and other drug and science issues.
Click Here For NFHS Steroid Awareness Page (includes PSA, Steroid Awareness Video, Drug Testing Info and More). See the steroid information page for more.
HEALTH
The Indiana Sports Concussion Network: Taking a Stand For Responsible Health Care. Indiana uses ImPact Baseline testing to battle concussions. For more, visit the Methodist Sports Medicine Concussion Management web page. Methodist Sports Medicine does impact testing for $5 per student, and they claim to be the exclusive certified concussion management consultant in Indiana.
Concussion Update: San Jose Football Player On The Road To Recovery - A Heart-Touching Illustration of the Need for Better Concussion Care. See Teen Upbeat After Near-Fatal Football Injury by Tom Fitzgerald, San Francisco Chronicle.
Latest Sportsmanship Information
Brevard County, Florida - The Florida Today on-line newspaper established a link for people to expose poor spectator conduct in youth sports in Jan, 2010. Click here for details of how the media and your sports community can work together to fight poor sportsmanship in youth sports. Note: the laws of unintended consequences held true as the first posting on this page was not about poor sportsmanship, but, instead, was about the lack of paper towels in the bathroom at a youth basketball game.
Click Here For What Kids Wish Their Parents Knew About Sportsmanship - From The MHSAA website (note - this video has been licensed to high school state associations throughout the country; contact your state's sports governing body and you can probably get a copy to use at your school).
Visit the sportsmanship page for more information.
Latest Officiating Information
If you're an official and you're moving to a new state, you need a quick way to reach your new state's Officials' Association. Links to All 50 States Officials' Association Are Available on the Officials Page at the Links Bookmark.
Houston, TX – January 14, 2010 - TASO vs. UIL. A battle for control of Texas’s sports officials. For three decades, Texas sports officials registered through the Texas Association of Sports Officials. This school year, the University Interscholastic League, the organization that governs Texas high school sports decided that they wanted control. Well, as you can imagine, TASO didn’t look too kindly on being run out of business. The fight for Texas was on. This is a long, ugly battle. For details, see Officials’ Tug of War Reaches New Level by San Khan, Jr., Houston Chronicle, January 14, 2010.
Rochester, N.Y. - Ref Attacked! Almost all the bones in his face were broken! Adult semi-pro football player attacks ref; is charged with first-degree felony assault for hitting an official over the head with his helmet. See Football Attack Stuns Team, Referees, Rochester Democrat Chronicle, and Referee Seriously Injured After Football Game, WHEC News 10, Rochester, N.Y. Referee Peter McCabe credits his partners with saving his life. Talk about timing: NY Assembly Bill 829, criminalizing batteries against sports officials, is currently before the New York State Legislature.
Officials Association Leaders: What do you do when the fans abuse the officials? See When A Fan's Comments Go Too Far by Alan Goldberger and Donald C. Collins, It's Official, Monthly Newsletter Of The National Association Of Sports Officials, December 2009, page N5 (inside this month's Referee Magazine).
Assaults Against Officials: We Always hear about it, but how often does it really happen and how wide-spread a problem is it? Visit the Officials Information page for two statistical surveys and the NASO Special Report.
Latest Collins Articles In Print Now.
Officials Association Leaders: What do you do when the fans abuse the officials? See When A Fan's Comments Go Too Far by Alan Goldberger and Donald C. Collins, It's Official, Monthly Newsletter Of The National Association Of Sports Officials, December 2009, page N5 (inside this month's Referee Magazine).
Contact the National Association of Sports Officials or visit the Articles Page for more Collins Articles.
FEATURED QUOTES AND APPEARANCES
Melinda Vickerman, the "Jersey Mom", uses the Michael Phelps bong-incident to show that we can use an athlete's bad moments to teach kids life lessons. See Redefining The Role Model by Melinda Vickerman, The Jersey Journal (The Jersey Mom Column), February 5, 2009. Collins was quoted in this article. Click here for Collins on Role Models.
Institute for the Study Of Youth Sports
This Michigan State University program studies and provides academic information on youth sports, and the issues confronting youth sports today. The Institute has a vast array of information on sportsmanship and other matters, and provides teaching resources and publications on youth sports issues.